El Nino Climate Conditions
Class - In Person & Zoom | Available (Membership Required)
Weather forecasts, especially hurricane forecasts, constantly mention whether we are in an "El Nino" condition or not. El Nino is associated with warm water appearing off Peru and Ecuador during December, which occurs every four to eight years. Why do water temperature changes in the Pacific Ocean have such influence on Atlantic hurricane formation, precipitation in the southeast US, monsoon strength in India, and weather changes elsewhere? Is it the cause or the symptom of something else? We'll trace the history of explanations and the reason for its worldwide effects on regional weather patterns.
John Klinck
John Klinck, Ph.D., is an experienced ocean scientist who has studied and taught ocean processes for over four decades. He is a professor of oceanography at Old Dominion University, having joined the faculty there in 1989. In that time, he has studied ocean flow by analyzing ocean observations and constructing and analyzing computer circulation models in fjords, estuaries, continental shelves, and Antarctic coastal regions. In addition to teaching students, he has worked with biologists to create computer models of growth, reproduction, and diseases of oysters, clams, abalone, eelgrass, and other organisms. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in physics, and a Ph.D. in physical oceanography.